


Road to You

by NeverComingHome



Category: Pushing Daisies
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-04-04
Updated: 2013-04-04
Packaged: 2017-12-07 10:12:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,168
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/747336
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NeverComingHome/pseuds/NeverComingHome
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Everyone deserves a happy ending.</p>
<p>Mentions of unrequited Olive/Ned</p>
            </blockquote>





	Road to You

_If happiness could be bottled in a strictly metaphorical sense I'd be sold out of you in a day._

 

He frowns realizing that if Olive is the incarnation of happiness it would mean he'd have to watch her be repeatedly taken away which makes him realize the 'women as objects' connection and that she wouldn't appreciate that at all. He crosses the line out with a sigh, pen tapping against the counter.

 

"Plan on ordering anything?"

 

"I already did," he closes the notebook as she walks up, "not that long ago, a couple hours," her face starts to fall, " I mean minutes, seconds even."

 

Which is when she drops on the other side of the booth and begins to weep. Alfredo looks about not a little helplessly, fingers gripping the red material as he whispers, "I'm not actually all that hungry now that I think about it."

 

"Irma ferber."

 

"What?"

 

She lifts her head, cheek in palm as she stares out the window, "I'm a failure. Three long boring talks later and I still can't stand to watch him walk out the door with her."

 

He opens his mouth then closes it several times, but she doesn't notice. Eventually she drums the table, insists that by the end of the week she will go a full day without thinking once about he who she already is thinking about not thinking about which she will accomplish by doing things like getting Alfredo his blueberry pie and coffee. She will not break and she will not be distracted.

 

He doesn't tell her he's allergic to blueberries, she's served him eight cups of coffee already and that he ordered a cinnamon apple crisp because on the chalk board it was listed as O's Favo of the Dayo. When she sets the plate in front of him he takes a bite and his skin begins to crawl immediately, but he doesn't set the fork down until only crumbs remain. He does it because while he knows it won't offend her:

 

_I would gladly spend twelve hours in the hospital just to see that smile._

 

He makes the period a star and closes the notebook, still aching from the shots, but not paying it any mind as he gazes at the ceiling of his small room.

 

[-]

 

Alfredo loves roadside attraction and small town oddities, like a wall that looks like it has a face painted onto it until you get close enough to see the lines are the names of all those who graduated from the local high school. He remembers giant yarn balls and parrots that can recite To Catch a Thief in its entirety for crackers soaked and dried in pressed grapes.

 

On their way to investigate the suspicious owner of the bowling alley where the victim was killed Olive whines until Chuck reluctantly pulls past the rusted yellow sign. The table is the size of a football field and you're supposed to pick a number at random, sit in the seat and carve your name into it. The legend goes that of those listed among the names one of them is your true love. Chuck thinks it's sort of lame, but it strikes Olive as pretty damn romantic and old fashioned in the best possible way. She only has time to etch an O into it before Chuck's phone rings and she calls for Olive to hurry up. Olive puts a heart within the O and leaves it.

 

[-]

 

_I know one day that man will break your heart which is why I can't stand to stay and watch. You wouldn't love someone who didn't respect himself enough to not settle for second best which is why dear Olive this is me saying good_

 

Which is when she walks in, hands limply at her side because that man broke her heart and it's all good and well for Alfredo to make grand declarations about pride and doing the smart thing when she isn't around. Her voice shakes a little when she asks if she can get him anything, trying to pull herself together because there's a shop to run and the world doesn't stop turning because Ned kisses someone that isn't her. Alfredo looks down at his own words and closes the notebook,

 

"You sit down, I'll get it."

 

[-]

 

But eventually he puts his foot down or rather, the necessity of rent forces him to put his foot down. Olive laughs like she doesn't believe him, but then he sticks his head out the window and kisses her on the mouth in front of god and everybody walking into the pie shop. She watches him drive away and it takes until he's out of sight before she realizes he slipped a small journal into her apron.

 

Sketches of horses in the corners, chemical equations and recipes, how he could tell she was upset by how much sugar was in the coffee. He loved when she served him what she wanted to eat rather than what he ordered because it meant she picked at it with her fork and spent a little extra time talking to him. He writes about his fears and dreams and how he liked the idea of people being able to choose how they felt because he was positive that more often than not they'd choose to be happy.

 

Olive reads it front to back and when she's done Digby races after her towards the car, hopping matter of factly into the passenger's seat.

 

[-]

 

Alfredo hates moving when he doesn't have a place in mind. The sign says "Here is the way" and the yellow and red remind him of The Piehole's menus so he turns into it, hunting for his camera and welcoming the distraction. They give him his number and he manages to sell a few vials while walking towards his seat, happy for the extra cash in his pocket. When he reaches it (52) he takes a seat, snaps a couple photos and takes out a pocket knife to etch his name at the top. The 'O' is very large with a heart in the middle, he sets the knife down and rubs over it with his thumb, wishing he had the notebook.

 

"Every circle reminds me of you. It never ends like your kindness or your beauty or-"

 

"-my stupidity."

 

Ned is of the opinion that for the most part life isn't fair or decent or nice. There's always loopholes that screw things up and the ending you get is rarely ever a real ending and even more rarely happy. Sometimes though? Sometimes the sun is setting so the sky looks gorgeous, He looks humble and properly lovesick while She glows in a dirt free dress despite having run through the field to reach him.

 

When they kiss Chuck jumps up and down and starts clapping, refusing to let the opportunity pass. Olive doesn't notice, melting against him with the notebook between them while he writes _& A_ on the table with his free hand.


End file.
